"Probability is... remote"? Is the collocation acceptable?

Forums: Grammar, Esl, English
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We often say "probability is ... low", but "remote" seems a bit odd to me.

Context:
But how did self-replicating organisms arise in the first
place? It is fair to say that at the present time we simply do not
know. No current hypothesis comes close to explaining how in
the space of a mere 150 million years, the prebiotic environ-
ment that existed on planet Earth gave rise to life. That is not to
say that reasonable hypotheses have not been put forward, but
their statistical probability of accounting for the development of
life still seems remote.

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Type: Question • Score: 6 • Views: 2,391 • Replies: 15

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View best answer, chosen by oristarA

@oristarA,

Ori that's a good q. But it might qualify as "unlikely"

http://onelook.com/?w=remote&ls=a

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@oristarA,

You should pay no attention to ignoramuses like Dale.

In the field you are working on, you have plenty of examples like this:

Quote:

The probability seems remote that such fields could play a significant role in axonal navigation in vivo.

1 Reply

I would say that a probability can be low; a possibility can be remote.

1 Reply

@contrex,

I found 83 scientific books that comprise that exact phrase.

Seems good to me..

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@timur,

Quote:

You should pay no attention to ignoramuses like Dale.

But Tim your response seems to agree with mine

Perhaps therefore a clarification is in order

1 Reply

@dalehileman,

I appreciated Dale's attempt. His answer and his response in this thread are pertinent.

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@oristarA,

Thank you Ori for your support in this otherwise quotidian fulmination of intractable acrimony

1 Reply

@dalehileman,

When you do that, you don't sound erudite, you sound verbose.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

Alas Izzy, ineluctably punctuating thy disruptive fulmination, lacking the diacritical parapraxis, mitigated nonetheless by its quotidian inferences; indubitably verbose, my disruptive gallimaufry intended not as peerless erudition but instead an outlandish raillery; however nugatory my recision

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@dalehileman,

dalehileman wrote:

Alas Izzy, ineluctably punctuating thy disruptive fulmination, lacking the diacritical parapraxis, mitigated nonetheless by its quotidian inferences; indubitably verbose, my disruptive gallimaufry intended not as peerless erudition but instead an outlandish raillery; however nugatory my recision

I wonder how many A2Kers have to check out their dictionary to decide the meaning of Dale's minor repartee?

1 Reply

@oristarA,

I do know a lot of A2Kers that understand the words put forth by Dale in a sally of utter foolishness.

But do they make any sense?

Take for example "lacking the diacritical parapraxis".

With the help of your best dictionaries and/or writing style guides, can you make any sense of it?

Dale's parapraxis are not only of tongue but of mind too..

2 Replies

@timur,

I always try to stick a long word in my sentences so I can sound smart.

Quote:

With the help of your best dictionaries and/or writing style guides, can you make any sense of it?

Not in my wheelbarrow. (Note the long word.)

2 Replies

@izzythepush,

Yeah, long word.

However, you should note this particular use of the word:

Quote:

The Wheelbarrow is also the fourth step of Cave Canem. It precedes the Hoover Maneuver and follows Doggystyle.

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@izzythepush,

Quote:

I always try to stick a long word in my sentences so I can sound smart.

Me too Izzy. Of course those in close proximity must necessarily be mellifluously juxtaposed

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@timur,

Quote:

Dale's parapraxis are not only of tongue but of mind too..

Especially Tim in the early morn

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"Probability is... remote"? Is the collocation acceptable?

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